Earth anchor



y 9, 1940- A. B. CHANCE 2,297,049

EARTH ANCHOR Filed Dec. 8, 1938 2 Sheets-Shet 1 A. B. CHANCE EARTH ANCHOR July 9, 1940.

Filed Dec." 8. 1933 2 Sheets-Shet 2 ace 2 5% Patented July 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to earth anchors, and is particularly concerned with improvements in earth anchors of the type which are installed by forming a hole in which to place the anchor,

- and driving a guy rod through the earth to penetrate the wall of the hole and engage the anchor.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved earth anchor construction of the type covered by my prior patent, No. 1,942,- 684, issued January 9, 1934.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved earth anchor of the class described, which is adapted to be made of ordinary cast iron, as distinguished from the malleable steel anchors of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved earth anchor which is adapted to be utilized both with guy rods of the type having a pointed head and guy rods of the type having a threaded end adapted to receive a nut.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved earth anchor of the class de-' scribed, which isstronger than the devices of the prior art, which may be constructed at a low cost, and which may be utilized for various types of anchor installations, including a dead man] anchor.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved earth anchor of the class described, which is adapted to be attached to its guy rod with greater ease than the devices of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an anchor of the type described, which is so constructed that the anchor may be abandoned and the guy rod salvaged when the guy rod is provided with a nut at its lower end.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying, drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets, 1

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the anchor shown in connection with a guy rod, having a threaded end, provided with a nut;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view in perspective of the anchor;

3 is a bottom plan view of the'anchor;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, showing the anchor in connection with a guy. rod, having a threaded .end and a nut, the nut being in the position which it assumes when it enters 55'; the anchor aperture;

' Fig.5 is a similar view, showing the guy rod and nut in the final position, after the nut has been engaged in the socket of the anchor;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken ona plane passing through the axis of the guy rod and longitu- 1 Referring to Figs. 1 to 3,20 indicates the im- 2 proved .earth anchor, which'is adapted to be used with guy rods 2! (Fig. 1)' or 22 (Fig. 3) of the type disclosed in my prior patent, No. 1,942,684, above-mentioned.

The guy rods are usually provided with an eye of the type shown in said patent, adapted to receive one or more cables for guying'telephone, telegraph, or light poles, or other structures.

The anchor 20 is adapted to be located in a f diagonally extending hole in a manner illustrated in my prior patent, and the guy rod 2| is driven diagonally downward to meet the anchor hole and engage the anchor 20.

The anchor 20, according to the present inven tion, may be constructed of ordinary cast iron, instead of malleable steel, usually employed in the devices of the prior art, and its construction is, therefore, provided with improved forms of reinforcement and structure peculiarly adapted to the use of the ordinary cast iron having less strength.

The anchor 20 has a substantially partially cylindrical body 23, which is adapted tofit against the side of the hole dug for it. The anchor body 23 is preferably substantially rectangular in plan, havingthe fiat sides 24, 25, and flat ends 26, 21, joined by the rounded corners 28. The flat sides 24, 25 are preferably reinforced'with upwardly extending border flanges 29, 30, which taper into the body 23 of the anchor at each end 3| of the flanges. The body 23 is provided at one end with a through aperture 32 and'a notch 33, the aperture 32 and notch 33'being adapted to be enaged by a suitable toolused for installing these anchors, as shown in my prior patents.

The anchor is also provided at its center with a guy rod aperture 34, comprising the larger circular part 35 and-thesmaller cylindrical part 36.

The larger circular part 35 of the aperture 34 is adapted to pass both the head 31 of a guy rod 22 (Fig. 6) or the nut 38 of the guy rod 2| (Fig. 1). The smaller cylindrical part 36 of the aperture 34 is adapted to engage the body or shank of either guy rod 2| or 22, when the anchor is suitably installed.

The cylindrical portion 36 of the aperture, which joins the circular aperture 35 by means of a slot 39, is bordered by an upstanding wall 48, which preferably has the two parallel fiat portions 45 and 42 and the partially cylindrical portion 43. The wall 46 is in the form of a rib projecting from the upper surface of the anchor body 23, and it is a substantial fit against the cylindrical guy rod 2| or 22 so as to hold the anchor steadily in its proper position during its installation.

The rib or wall 48 may also be joined by the two laterally extending reinforcing ribs 44, 45, which are adapted to reinforce the anchor against lateral breakage, and which also bite into the earth to prevent the slipping of the anchor transversely to the direction of the guy rod 2|, 22. The reinforcing ribs 44 and 45 also join at their ends to the side flanges 23 and 38, and the ribs 44, 45 increase in width from the center of the anchor toward the outer sides 24, 25 of the anchor. The anchor may also have a plurality of reinforcing ribs 46, 41, 48, tapering in width from the body 23 up to the ribs 44, 43, and 45. The ribs 46-48 distribute the strain which is imposed upon the anchor by the guy rod 2|, 22, and increase the strength of the anchor.

The major portion of the body 23 of the anchor above the aperture 34 (Fig. 1) is cylindrical, and the body 23 also has substantially cylindrical portions 49, 58, and 5| at the lower end of the anchor body 23 in Fig, l. The portions 58 and 5| are substantially triangular in plan, being bordered by the side flanges 29 and 36 and by the ribs 44 and 45, and by a pair of diagonally extending ribs 52, 53, which are joined to the ribs 4|, 42.

The diagonally extending ribs 52, 53 not only project from the top side of the anchor body 23, but they extend downward into the body of the anchor, and are joined to a flat body surface 54 of triangular shape, which is formed with the aperture 35. The flat triangular body portion 54 is bounded at its end by a wall or rib 55, and the remaining portion of the anchor in Fig. 1, below the rib or wall 55 may comprise the substantially cylindrical portion 48. That part of the anchor which is bounded by the ribs 52, 53 and wall 55 comprises an enlarged socket or recess, which is adapted to be used for initially receiving the end of the guy rod, in order to direct the head or nut of the guy rod into the round aperture 35.

The diagonal ribs 52, 53 have inner walls 56, 51, which extend toward each other and toward the parallel walls 4|, 42, so that the nut 38 or head 3! of the guy rod must be guided toward the proper position to register with the aperture 35 by the walls 56, 51. The space between the ribs 4| and 42 is itself too small to receive the head 3! or the nut 38, but the aperture 35 is large enough to pass the head 31 or nut 38. Thus the head 31 or'nut 38 is guided by the walls 56, 5'1 to the point where the nut or head registers with the aperture 35, but the nut or head cannot itself pass into the slot between the walls 4|, 42.

The anchor may then be raised until the nut 31 or head 38 passes through the aperture 35, and thereafter the nut or head is guided into a suitable socket, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 58 (Fig. 2).

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that the cylindrical body portions 58 and 5| are considerably thickened over the devices of the prior art, for the purpose of making the anchors of sufficient strength so that ordinary cast iron may be employed. The anchor is also preferably provided on its lower side with the longitudinally extending ribs 59 and. 68 spaced inwardly slightly of the border ribs 29, 38, and of suificient depth to extend from the plane of the cylindrical portions 50, 5| to the bottom plane 6| of the anchor.

The longitudinal ribs 59 and 60 are joined at their ends to the diagonally extending ribs 62, 63, 56 and 51, and also joined to the transversely extending ribs 64 and 55. The diagonally extending ribs 62, 63, 56 and 51 have ribbed extensions 65-68, which go to the corners 28 of the anchor, and all of the ribs described on the bottom of the anchor are of sufficient depth to reach from the bottom 23 downward to the bottom plane 6| (Fig. 7) of the anchor.

The lower surface 69 of the fiat triangular portion 54 is also in the plane 6| of the lower side of the anchor.

The aperture 34 for'the guy rod and its head or nut has already been described, and may also be seen in Fig. 2. The narrow or slotted portion 36 of this aperture has its cylindrical end portion centrally located of the socket 58. The socket 58 is formed by a substantially cylindrical rib '58, which extends from the rib or wall 51 to the end of the rib 82, thence to rib 63, and thence to wall or rib 56, about the smaller end of the aperture 34.

The cylindrical end 36 of aperture 34 is so located that when the guy rod has its cylindrical shank engaging the wall or rib 43, the nut 38 or head 31 is suitably engaged in the socket 58. The socket 58 may be of substantially cylindrical shape and of a size adapted to house the head 37. For the purpose of also receiving the nut 38, it is provided with a plurality of triangular grooves |||3, located to engage three of the corners of the nut, which is of such size that its corners will engage in the corners of the grooves ll-13. The installation of such an anchor has already been described in my prior patents, but in Figs. 46 the anchor is shown in connection with the two types of anchor rods.

In Fig. 4 the nut 38 is seen passing through the large circular part of the aperture 34. In Fig. 5 the anchor has been moved over until the guy rod fits against the cylindrical wall 43, and the anchor has been moved down on the rod until the nut 38 is engaged in the socket 58, with the corners of the nut located in the triangular slots '|||3. In Fig. 6 the anchor is shown in section, and the relatively deep diagonal side wall 56 is shown in position to guide the guide rod 22 to its proper position. The head 31 of the anchor is shown in dot-dash lines, just after it has passed through the larger portion of aperture 34; and again in dot-dash lines in a third position, after the head 31 is located in the socket 58.

It will thus be seen that here again the cylindrical portion of the guy rod engages the cylindrical wall 43. This engagement coupled with the engagement of the head 31 or nut 38 in the socket 58 insures the securement of the anchor at right angles to the guy rod.

The guy may then be attached and pulled up tight, drawing the anchor against the side of the hole, which has been dug in the earth for it, and thereafter the hole can be filled up with loose earth.

The anchoritself engages the solid earth at the side of the hole, and thus is adapted to perform its anchoring function immediately with a minimum amount of movement. The upper ribs 4448 and 52, 53 bite into the-solid earth and prevent the creeping of the anchor in a direction transverse to the guy rod, in the event the force applied to the guy rod is not accurately at right angles to the body of the anchor.

Due to its improved structure and reinforcement, the present anchor may be constructed 7 of ordinary cast metal and still be made of sufii- ,cient strength to be utilized in a great many places wher a cheaper anchor is desired. Its improved structure also facilitates the entry of the head of the guy rod or the nut on the guy rod, and, if desired, at some later date the anchor may be abandoned and the guy rod may be salvaged, if a nut has been used.

This is done by merely applying a wrench to the guy rod and twisting the guy rod in a counter-clockwise direction, which will tend to move the guy rod out of the nut. The nut is, of course, held by the engagement of its corners in the grooves IL-43, and if the rotation of the guy rod is continued a sufficient number of times, the guy rod may be withdrawn from the nut, and thereafter pulled from the earth.

Thus the present anchor may be abandoned and the guy rod salvaged without any difliculty, without leaving any parts projecting from the earth. With the headed type of anchor the guy rod and anchor may both be abandoned by driving the guy rod downward into the earth, the

shank of the guy rod passing through the anchor.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set worth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States. is:

1. In a metal earth anchor, the combination of a cast metal anchor plate having a pairof substantially straight edges and rounded ends, and having a substantially partially cylindrical curved body, said edges being bordered by a boundary flange extending transversely to the general plane of said body, and said body having a centrally located slot leading to an eccentrically located aperture, said aperture being of suflicient size to pass the head of a guy rod or a nut carried by a threaded guy rod, and said body wall to the opposite corners of said anchor, said substantially partially cylindrical wall having formed therein a plurality of angular slots for receiving the corners of a nut, whereby the nut, previously assembled upon the guy rod, may be inserted through the aperture and into the centrally located slot, to be gripped by said wall, and the guy rod may subsequently be screwed out of said nut when the nut is held by the anchor.

2. In a metal earth anchor, the combination of a cast metal anchor plate having a pair of substantially straight edges and rounded ends, and having a substantially partially cylindrical curved body, said edges being bordered by a boundary flange extending transversely to the general plane of said body, and said body having a centrally located slot leading to an eccentrically located aperture, said aperture being of "suficient size to pass the head of a guy rod or a ceiving the corners of a nut, whereby the nut, previously assembled upon the guy rod, may be inserted through theaperture and into the centrally located slot, to be gripped by said wall,

and the guy rod may subsequently be screwed out of said nut when the nut is held by the anchor, said diagonally extending flanges and diagonally extending ribs on the connection side of said anchor being joined by longitudinally and transversely extending reinforcing flanges, and said anchor having on its convex side outwardly extending transverse reinforcing ribs and outwardly extending reinforcing ribs bordering said slot and said plane surface, said ribs bordering said slot forming a partially cylindrical wall for engaging the side of a guy rod.

ALBERT B. CHANCE. 

